This summer, as I was transitioning from our time living in Korea back to the United States, I was able to spend a few fantastic weeks at home with family. I had a great time reconnecting with the people I had missed so much and eating all of my favorite foods that weren't available during the year we were overseas! I also had the opportunity to photograph this gorgeous 2017 senior. Spoiler alert... she also happens to be my cousin!

Angelina, I am in love with all of the images from your session! I had such a difficult time choosing my favorites for this blog post. I am so glad that our timing worked out and I could take your senior photos for you. If you didn't think I was crazy already, I'm sure my photo taking shenanigans probably made you think otherwise. Thanks for being a good sport. You are a beauty and I hope you enjoy every moment of your senior year!

How lucky am I to only have to walk down the hall to the next apartment to see this cute little face? Baby AJ is such a sweet little guy! With newborns, I usually get to see them when they are brand new, and then months later when they've already grown so much, but I have been getting to see this cutie almost every single day! Already his personality, eye contact and little baby smiles have changed so much!

Aj's session was more lifestyle, than posed, and he was loving being in his momma's arms. We incorporated some special props: a handmade hat and blanket from his Aunt, a special onesie from his grandma, and the family quilt. Congratulations on the sweet little addition of AJ to your family! I'm so glad that I get to see him so often. Thank you for sharing your afternoon with me and allowing me to capture this special moment in time for you!

These two are two of our dearest friends. Over the years we have gone on some awesome adventures, stayed up a little too late playing board games, and eaten a ton of great food together. I was thrilled to find out when we were moving overseas that they would be there too! It makes it a little easier to be so far from home when you have friends that are like family! Shortly after I found out we'd both be living in the same place, I found out they were expecting and they wanted me to photos for them!!! I love maternity sessions, I love sweet little babies and I love these two and can't wait to meet their newest addition, so needless to say I have been pretty excited the past couple of months waiting for these sessions! :)

Momma to be and I did some scouting before the session and found a fabulous spot. There is a lake close to where we are living and visiting there often makes me feel like I'm taking a trip back to the lake by my parents house in Pennsylvania. It was the first stop on our scouting session and we didn't have to look too far. We had the one spot as a potential, but then we found a little path that led up the hill that would work perfect. It was such a great afternoon! Thank you for allowing me to capture this moment for you! I'm excited to meet baby so so soon!

Korea is a beautiful beautiful country. I am really enjoying where we live because it is quieter and not in the middle of the hubbub you find in a busy city. It also doesn't take long to get to amazing locations like this one.

We went hiking to Jiksopokpo (Jikso Waterfall) during the Chuseok Holiday weekend. Chuseok is one of Korea's biggest national holidays and often considered the most important holiday. During this time, families gather together to celebrate the year's harvest and to honor their family members and ancestors that have passed away. I was able to get a better glimpse of this special holiday through the descriptions from the adults I have been teaching. One of the girls said she would be spending all day Saturday, from 8am until 9pm cooking food for the celebration. Then, at midnight they would set up the memorial table and celebrate and eat all of the traditional foods that were made. On Sunday, they would hike to the burial places of their loved ones to pay their respects. Since her family is in town she didn't travel. Another student was going to be driving up to Seoul to spend time with family there. Most families end up traveling and because of that, bus and train tickets sell out early and the roadways are packed with travelers.

Since we stayed close to where we live, we missed out on the traffic, but there were a number of people out hiking the same day as us. On our way to the waterfall we passed by two temples. The first one was closed, but the second one was open and had music playing. There were slabs outside the temple that people were using chalk to write on. Silsangsa was the name of one of the temples.

As we continued our walk we passed by colorful flowers, rice fields, a lake and some trees that started to change colors. Unfortunately, it hadn't rained for a little and the waterfall was dry. We will have to go back another time, maybe once the leaves have changed some more, to see if the waterfall is flowing.

We walked by on the way to the falls, but investigated some more on our way back.

This past weekend we took a trip up to Itaewon, which is located in Seoul. We took a bus and then two subways to get to our destination. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Itaewon and it allowed us instant access to the number of coffeeshops, restaurants, and boutiques. It was very American like, except for the toilet. The toilet had a bade and lots of interesting buttons to press. Luckily they had English translations so I didn't get any unexpected surprises! We started our morning with a walk through the streets of Itaewon and stopped at a place called Coffeesmith for coffee. I think the main reason we stopped was because it had Smith in the title… and anything with the name Smith has to be pretty awesome! For lunch we ate at Vatos Urban Tacos A friend, who also has to find gluten free places to eat, had recommended it and let me just say… it was AMAZING!

Best Shampoo Ever!!! I don't know what is in this stuff, but my hair has been terrible since we've arrived and I had my first fabulous hair day after using these! Plus, I smelled extra great from all that Rosemary and Mint!

View from our window, Seoul Tower. We will have to visit here on another trip.

Whatever restaurant they are lined up for must be fabulous! Maybe we'll check it out on a future trip!